Sept. 30, 2025

Ep. 121 - How Gaming became the next Hollywood - Berkley Egenes

Ep. 121 - How Gaming became the next Hollywood - Berkley Egenes
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Season 1

In this episode, Vince Quinn chats with Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing Growth Officer at Xsola, about marketing lessons from the ever-evolving gaming industry. Berkley breaks down how Xsola simplifies global video game commerce through localized payment solutions, seamless in-game purchasing, and white-label integration. He shares insights on scaling indie games, reacting to regulatory shifts, enabling user acquisition, building community, and bridging brands into gaming culture.

Guest Bio

Berkley Egenes is the Chief Marketing Growth Officer at Xsola, a video game commerce company enabling monetization, distribution, and payments across 200+ geographies for over 4,000 games. With 23+ years in marketing and eSports, he previously built the Ghost Gaming brand and now focuses on forging partnerships, launching campaigns, and creating global marketing growth strategies.

Takeaways

  • Localizing global payments: Xsola allows developers to accept region-specific payments, like Brazil’s PIX or local wallets, via customizable, branded in-game interfaces.
  • B2B2C marketing model: Xsola markets first to game developers (B2B), then enables those developers to better market to players (B2C), using events, social, content syndication, and email campaigns.
  • Rapid regulatory response: Following a U.S. court ruling on April 30, 2025, Xsola quickly implemented compliant direct in-app payment links, illustrating the importance of responsiveness and agile marketing.
  • Scalable processes & AI-powered content: Quick execution relies on repetitive frameworks, clear ownership, iterative post-mortems, process discipline, and AI tools (like refining LinkedIn posts via ChatGPT).
  • Indie game ecosystem support: Xsola’s “funding club” connects garage developers with VCs, publishers, and showcases to help them produce and monetize games.
  • Community-led outreach: Events like dinner meetups and spaces at Gamescom foster genuine connection, collaboration, and idea exchange across platforms and genres.
  • Cross-industry brand opportunities: From in-game branded experiences (e.g. Fortnite collabs) to IP licensing, brands are increasingly activating within games for engagement and longevity.
  • Safety & education for families: Xsola promotes parental controls, gift card solutions, and content to keep children safe and avoid accidental high spending.
  • Future-facing mindset: Gaming is the dominant entertainment medium for Gen Z and Gen Alpha, this diverse, immersive cultural shift offers unprecedented opportunity for developers, brands, and platforms alike.

Chapters

00:00 Intro to Future Fuzz + Guest Introductions

01:10 What is Xsola and How It Works

03:34 Marketing Xsola’s B2B2C Approach

06:21 Tactics to Grow Game Audiences

08:06 Regulatory Shift: Direct In‑App Payments

09:26 Rapid Go‑to‑Market: Team & Process

12:49 Gaming Industry Evolution & Indies Rising

14:36 Xsola's Funding Club & Indie Support

16:20 Data‑Driven Relationship Building

17:52 Building Community at Trade Shows

19:06 Cross‑Industry Brand Integration in Gaming

23:31 Gaming as Cultural Mainstay & Future of Media

28:29 Parental Controls + Safe Monetization Advice

30:21 Podcast & Multi‑Channel Marketing Strategy

31:07 Guest Wrap‑Up + Where to Connect

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